Time Flies when you are Super Busy!

Hello to everyone in Blogger Land! Wow, it's been so long since I posted that I don't even know what to say. We are all doing well and enjoying life as a family.
Monchichi is getting so BIG! He has grown three inches and put on 8 pounds in the four months since his arrival home. He's a great eater and started walking last month.
He really is the light of our lives. Our entertainment at night is to watch him play. We are so amazed at every little thing he does. Rob and I are very goofy people and Monchichi has picked up on this goofiness. He makes us laugh so much!
Well, I hope everyone is doing great. I know there have been ups and down for everybody over the past couple of months---no matter what stage of the adoption process we are in. I guess that's life. Still, my prayer is that we enjoy the good times to the max and that we persevere and get strength through the down times.
I've been keeping up with a lot of your blogs and it warms my heart to see all the happenings and photos! I promise I'll try to be better at posting!
Smiles from Michelle

The Race is not Over!

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post! Time flies and this past month has been a little crazy.
Monchichi is doing great. We are so amazed with the changes in him every day! Today was a really hot day in Massachusetts so I took him outside with a pail of water and his Little People animals. He had so much fun! Just take a look.............


We'll write more soon but we just wanted to post a quick Hello!

Team Guido does it Again!

First, my commentary on last night's episodes of The Amazing Race! I'm not sure how many of you are seasoned veterans of TAR but let's go back to Season One. If you can recall....do you remember that when the winning team crossed the finish line Team Guido was still in Alaska (not the final state) doing a task. They didn't even come close to finishing the race because they were so far behind the other two teams. Just like last night! I don't think I've ever seen teams so far behind that another team started the next leg of the race before all the teams finished the previous leg. Sorry to see you go, Team Guido!
Ok--I laughed so hard last night. Mirna was too funny with her commentary with Charla. But, Charla gives it right back to her. They are hilarious. Even Dustin and Kandice thought they were a riot while they were trying to finish the sausage challenge. I have a thought about all these funny clips of Mirna and Charla. I said to Rob last night--I think they are going to win. If you can recall the season with Flo and Zack, the episodes were full of scenes with Flo crying or having a fit or getting upset with Zack. BTW, just as an aside, I do need to mention that Flo and Zack are alums of Vassar College, my alma mater as well! And they won! So, we'll see. Any other bets on who might win! I am happy that some of my favorite teams are still in the challenge so it'll be a great finish!

Episode Recap #4 The Court Hearing
I do want to continue with updates about our adoption trip because I hope somewhere down the line it is helpful to someone going through the process. I know I was incredibly encouraged and hopeful as I watched many couples go through the process through their blogs!
On the day of court, I couldn't even think about sitting down to eat breakfast. Plus, I do like to be alone sometimes to meditate, pray, and gather my thoughts and feelings. So, Rob went down to the buffet and gave me some alone time in the room. I did eat one of the Balance bars that we packed with us for the trip. I took my time getting ready and just tried to remain calm.
We met downstairs at 9 30 am with our translator and she walked with us over to court. It was nice because our friends were in the lobby waiting for us to wish us well! We walked over to the courthouse--about 5 minutes away and went to the room. It was a small room but was set up in a traditional "court" style with a bench for the judge, two sides with desks for the attorneys, and benches behind them. Rob and I just sat down and held hands and waited anxiously for the session to begin. The prosecutor arrived early and he asked to see pictures of us with Monchichi from the first trip. I had put together a little album and he flipped through it. The last two pages had pictures of Monchichi's room and the prosecutor added "what a nice room". I was happy because Rob and I really wanted to create a peaceful atmosphere for our son. Rob worked so hard painting and putting furniture together to make it just right! Thank you, honey! See, in our family, I have the ideas but Rob does most of the hard labor!
I do have to mention that I can't say anything specific about the court hearing because it is private and closed. I will add that we were both asked a few questions by the judge and prosecutor. I wasn't too nervous once the whole procedure started but I was just hoping it would be over---and that there would be a good outcome. Well, the "hearing" took 35 minutes and then we had to wait about 20 minutes for the judge to return to read the decision. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life! Everyone else was chatting and happy and I just wanted it all confirmed.
The judge did come in and read the positive decision--and the ten days was waived. I just remember Rob and I hugging each other so tight and breaking down in tears. It was very emotional because this journey to having a family has been a very long one with many heartbreaks and disappointments along the way.
Everyone came over and congratulated us and we were so happy! We were able to speak with the judge and we assured her that we would love and adore and take great care of Monchichi. She told us she knew we had enough love but to make sure we had patience. A very wise statement!
After court, we walked back to the hotel and went to our friends' room where we talked and made lunch plans. We had to have a quick lunch because we were meeting up with the facilitator to run some errands that afternoon. Those included getting the birth certificates, amended birth certificates, and adoption certificates. We did a lot of waiting but we didn't mind as we were all so happy. We just chatted about the children and the next stages and so many things! To end the day, we had dinner at the cafe, of course, and desserts in the hotel lobby bar as a special celebration!
That's about it for that day...More to come!

Here's a fun picture of Rob and Monchichi! Rob loves to experiment with photography so I am always finding new photos on our computer that I didn't know he took. He must have taken this one when I was getting ready to go out last weekend and he was taking care of Monchichi. Now, I know I am biased but aren't they handsome guys? I love you both sooo much!

You Go Charla and Mirna!

First, my commentary on last night's Amazing Race. Way to go, Charla and Mirna! Two weeks in a row pulling into first place. And all because they chose the right task last week and took a risk this week! Well, that and they didn't stop for fruit like Oswald and Danny. Warning to Oswald and Danny---think Team Guido taking time for massages and almost getting eliminated.
Rob and I were laughing so much last night at Charla and Mirna's accents they were using with the natives in the different countries. At one point, they sounded Italian and we weren't sure why they were doing this accent thing. It was pretty funny! Whatever works for you...
I was sad to see Teri and Ian go. But, I was so encouraged to see their spirit. I can't imagine Rob and I doing this race not once but twice in our 50s. I can't even imagine us doing it now. Two trips to Russia in less than two months was a lot for us!

Episode Recap #3
Speaking of our trip to Russia, I need to continue with my recaps of our second trip. I left off on a Monday night where we had dinner to discuss the court case with our facilitator.
On Tuesday, we went to the baby home with our friends to visit the children. On the first trip, they gave us separate rooms but on this day they put us all together in one room. It was pretty crowded with all the adults and the children. We were so excited when they brought in Monchichi. It was so emotional to see him again. He looked bigger and more grown-up to us. On the first trip, he bonded well with me but was a little unsure about Rob. On this visit, he took to Rob right away and I was so happy and encouraged! He gave us big toothy smiles and laughs this day! We didn't have a long visit but his smile kept me going through the next 24 hours as I anticipated our court hearing.
Here is a picture from that visit...
Don't you love his red bonnet?


After our visit, we went with our friends to our "cafe" for lunch. We found this cafe on the first trip and we basically went there for every meal during our two stays except for breakfast at the hotel and one night at a different restaurant. We loved this cafe because it was inexpensive and had a variety of foods. The waitstaff was so nice to us and would play charades with us to help us decipher the Russian menu. There was no English menu but there were pictures of the meals so that was helpful. I especially enjoyed the potato pancakes and the steak meal at the cafe.
After lunch at the cafe, our friends had to go and get ready for their court hearing that afternoon. I was so nervous for them and for us for the next day. I couldn't decide whether I was happy that we had to wait until the next day or not.
Everything went well for them and we went out to celebrate that night with dinner at the cafe! I was so excited for them but still so nervous about our hearing the next day. Rob and I went back to our room and read through our paperwork and talked through some things to be prepared for the next day! Somehow, I think I slept a couple of hours that night!
That's it for this recap.

And, now for something fun! Here's a picture of Monchichi on his new rider toy! My aunt sent him some money and he went on a shopping spree at Babies R Us! Well, Mommy and Daddy may have made some of the choices!

Introducing Monchichi!

Here's our little Monchichi! He is just the sweetest little boy! He's fourteen months old and full of fun and joy! Rob and I can not describe how happy he makes us and how full our lives are because of him. We waited a long time for children but we can honestly say that he was worth the wait! We couldn't be happier and we couldn't love him more!
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
And to my fellow Amazing Race fans---will Mirna and Charla be able to pull out of last place tonight? We'll see......

Episode Recap #2

Before I start with a recap of Day 2 of our journey to get Monchichi, I need to comment on the events of The Amazing Race on Sunday night.

Bye,Bye Rob and Amber!
They did have a strong showing in the first three episodes and it must have been so disheartening to come in last. I think the worst part was that we clearly saw what was wrong with their task and they just couldn't see the spelling error in their sign. I wonder how they felt when they realized what went wrong. Anyway, I was especially happy to see that Charla and Mirna managed to hang in there. However, what was up with Mirna yelling at Charla like that--it seemed so unlike her! Till next week!

Day 2 of our journey began with waking up early in the morning to go down and meet our facilitator who would take us to the train station for our trip to our region. On our last trip, we took the overnight train back and forth to Moscow. But, this was a day train. It was actually a lot of fun and we loved the experience. Rob and I both love trains and the two person cabin is very comfortable. Here's a picture of the cabin from our first trip.

One of the things we loved about the train is that they come and offer you tea and coffee at the start of the trip. The tea is so good and very inexpensive. They made it super sweet for us with lots of sugar and lemon. Yum-O!
For anyone who takes the journey on the train, here are some tips.
--The attendants do not speak English so it's helpful to have a cheat sheet of words to help with ordering a meal or asking a question.
--You pay for your tea/coffee at the end of the trip right before you get to your station.
--The blue covers on the couches come off and there are sheets underneath where you can sleep and get comfortable.
--The cabin has a tv mounted on the wall. They play Russian DVDs on it throughout the trip. We saw Air Force One, The Thorn Birds, and A Good Year in Russian.

That's about all the tips I can think of for now but feel free to ask questions or post your own tips in the comments if you have experienced the overnight train.

Back to our journey....
After sleeping for a couple of hours on the train to our region, we woke up and spent the rest of the time enjoying the scenery passing by us. We arrived in our region and were picked up by our facilitator and the driver. They took us to our hotel where we met up with our friends from Trip One. We were told we had 30 minutes to get ready and be back down in the lobby to go to dinner with our friends, the translator, and the facilitator so we could discuss court proceedings in Russia.
We had a lovely dinner at our facilitator's home and we felt very well informed about what to expect in court at the end of the evening.
After we arrived back at the hotel, Rob and I sat in the lobby bar and had a yummy dessert! Our hotel was so nice and we really enjoyed spending time in the lobby relaxing with teas, lattes, and desserts.
We ended up the evening unpacking and watching the Academy Awards in Russian. I didn't really mind because I still enjoyed seeing all the dresses!
And that was Day Two!

Episode Recap #1

As you now know, we had to miss a few episodes of The Amazing Race because of our time in Russia. But, luckily, there are episode recaps posted on the CBS websites so I am all caught up on the latest happenings.
And, in the spirit of being able to catch up on what went on with our adoption, I will be posting some recaps of our trip to Russia and our process for all of you.
We did have the ten day waiting period waived but, apparently, it still takes ten days for everything to be all legal. So, because I am a very cautious person, it'll be a few more days before I will post some pictures.
But here's how our first day went:

We left Boston on the 24th of March and flew Lufthansa to Frankfurt. We arrived in Frankfurt early on the 25th and proceeded to the gate to wait for our flight to Moscow. Since we had some time, we decided to watch a DVD on the laptop. And, 5 minutes into the DVD, the laptop crashed. We neglected to bring the windows recovery cd so things were not looking good for having a laptop for the trip. This was a bit discouraging because we had lots of DVDs to watch in the event of having to wait out the ten days. I was also hoping to email and post on the blog more often during the trip. Needless to say, a glitch. Not a big one but still a glitch.
About an hour into our flight to Moscow, the pilot made an announcement that there were some problems and they were taking us to Berlin to check out the plane. Well, I don't like flying so this made me nervous. On top of that, we were expected in Moscow soon and were meeting up with our friends from trip 1 to have dinner and take the overnight train to our region. We were still hopeful that we could make the overnight train at this point.
We were wrong! When we arrived in Berlin, they deplaned us and had us pick up our luggage. We placed our phone calls and said we would be late to Moscow. Then, we had to get on a flight from Berlin back to Frankfurt as there were no direct flights available to Moscow. We arrived back in Frankfurt, collected our luggage once again, and proceeded to book a flight to Moscow. Lufthansa wanted us to wait until the next day but, after pleading our case, they booked us on an Aeroflot flight leaving that night--due to arrive in Moscow at midnight. So, no overnight train. We figured we would have to take one the next night.
We did make it to Moscow at midnight and our facilitator drove us to the Sheraton Palace where we checked in for a few short hours as we had to be up by 6 30 am to catch a day train to our region. We thought we had it hard but our poor facilitator slept in his car outside the hotel as there was not enough time for him to return to his home and come back to get us so early in the morning. What a guy!
So, that's a recap of Day One!

As far as how things are going at home with Baby D---well we couldn't be happier. I wrote an email to my brother and described our new life as Chaos and Bliss! We're a lot busier with our new little one getting used to his new life. But, we are just too happy to notice!

BTW, we have decided on a blog name for Baby D---it will be Monchichi. I'm not sure if any of you remember that Monchichi dolls of the 70s/80s---but maybe you remember the song:

Monchichi, Monchichi, oh so soft and cuddly!

That's our little boy!

One More Thing You may not know about Team Rob and Michelle

We are now a team of Three!

We had our court date a week ago and we are now a forever family with our handsome and happy 13 month old son, Baby D!

And we are so happy to cross the finish line!

Ten Things you may not Know about Team Rob and Michelle

I see from my comments that there are a lot of Amazing Race Fans out there in bloggerland!

As a recap to Sunday night:

John Vito and Jill were eliminated (I barely remembered this team and I think she looks different to me now). I wasn't too devastated about this elimination.

Rob and Amber came in 1st place this week. I will say this--they are a strong couple. And, something I realized the other night is they are better together than either of them was alone. When the two of them were on the individual Survivors, they both did pretty well but were never really contenders for the win. Then, their alliance on All-Star Survivor, catapulted them to the lead two positions. And, on The Amazing Race, they did come in second place. We'll just have to see how they fare in this one!

Team Guido, Oswald and Danny, and Charla and Mirna did not disappoint me as they all had hilarious moments.

I also love Teri and Ian and all of his little comments. However, is he going to continue to make that "eeeooo" or whatever noise it is throughout the race?

This week's race had me thinking about the teams. In the beginning, they did a little mini biography and update on the teams. So, I decided it was time for Team Rob and Michelle to reveal a little bit about us that you may not know! As I love lists, this is my official:

Ten Things about Team Rob and Michelle
1. We have been married for 10.5 wonderful years!
2. We almost never use our first name with each other. Instead, we are both Honey.
3. Our favorite non-reality tv show is Lost.
4. We love ethnic food---Thai, Korean, Indian, etc.
5. One of our favorite vacation spots is Montreal.
6. One of our favorite things to do on vacations is visit Art Museums.
7. Our love song is I Melt with You by Modern English which brings us to....
8. We love 80s music!
9. We always try to sit in the same spot in movie theaters. Not sure why but we just do it and we get upset if someone is in "our seats".
10. It's been a roller coaster ride for us in starting a family but it really has strengthened us individually and as a couple. We are so looking forward to our court date and being able to bring home our little boy (who by the way is absolutely adorable in looks and personality!).

The Race Starts Tonight!

To all of you Amazing Race Fans:

All Stars starts tonight---in just about 15 minutes!

Enjoy!

Pit Stop

Now, all of you who watch the Amazing Race know about pit stops. For those who don't, it is basically the end of a leg of the race. The teams need to check in with Phil (the host) at the pit stop and then they spend the night where they have a meal, do laundry, make phone calls, take showers, and sleep. The pit stops only last twelve hours. So, basically the moment they arrive sets the time they need to leave for the next leg (12 hours later).
Anyway, that's where I'd say we are---at a pit stop. Now, I wish ours only lasted twelve hours and that I could be back on a leg tomorrow! We handed in our paperwork and now it is off to our region. Hopefully, there will be no further requests and that we can be given a court date! In the meantime, my pit stop will include doing laundry and packing for our next trip, finishing the nursery, and cleaning my house from top to bottom! We're also hoping to see a movie or two and spend time with friends.
And, of course, if we are in the US, we will be watching The Amazing Race: All Stars on February 18th.
I can't very well title my blog "amazing race" without commenting on the upcoming round of the show. I've been waiting for all-stars and I was happy and surprised to see the chosen teams.
Here are some of my thoughts:

Kevin and Drew (the frat boys)--couldn't remember them at first but they should be fun!

Oswald and Danny--they will be so much fun---i hope they "first class" it again by using resources at fancy hotels and charming people

Charla and Mirna--I hope Mirna does some of the tasks this time! I'm going to keep track! Also, I read that Mirna is married now so I guess she won't be flirting with Phil.

Teri and Ian--Loved this couple! Should bring lots of laughs!

Team Guido--I still can't get over the fact that they won the fast forward on one leg and came in last (would have been eliminated but there was a technicality with another team) all because they took the time to get massages!

Rob and Amber--I can't seem to get them off of my tv! I saw the original Survivor with Amber, the original one with Rob, Survivor All-Stars with the two of them, and then they invaded The Amazing Race only to come back AGAIN! I just want to say one thing--I hope the other teams have learned something about Rob and the way he plays these games! He plays to win and he will do anything to win! Many people have made the mistake of trusting him and have been burned! Remember that!

The other teams---No main thoughts about them.

I really was hoping that Flo and Zack would be back along with the model twins from that season. But, overall, I think it will be a fun season! Hopefully, I'll miss few episodes because I'll have my court date. That's why I love my TIVO!

Amazing Race Fans---if you have any favorites you are happy to see back or a team you wish would have been back--post in the comments. I'd love to see your responses.

Back to the Adoption Front:

Congratulations to Jeff and Maria on your successful court date!
A warm send off to Lauren and Marco as they take off tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a great time in Moscow!

The Paper Chase

Two weeks ago we received a list of documents that we needed to either get or be updated for court. And, finally, after phone calls, trips to the doctor, trips to the police station, and hours photocopying documents---we have collected the list! Rob will be getting them apostilled tomorrow and then I can bring them to our agency on Tuesday. Yeah---at least for now! I hope this brings us closer to getting a court date!
We are keeping busy with decorating the nursery and shopping for our little one. We went on a shopping trip and came home with a carload of stuff for him (yes, our referral is for a boy!) and all we got for ourselves was three toilet brushes for our bathrooms!
I do want to send out a HUGE Congratulations to all of the couples going to Russia this week for their court dates! We will be thinking of all of you and looking forward to your posts and pics! It was very exciting last week to see the almost daily updates of court dates received by families. It's nice to see there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

And now the Waiting Begins....

It started yesterday---the painful process of the waiting!
Our first week home was pretty full between catching up on sleep, going back to work, and sharing all the pictures and exciting stories with our friends and families.
We also got our list of documents needed for court and are trying to get these done ASAP.
And, then it hit me yesterday. This waiting for court is so hard. And, to top it off, I am someone who worries about every little thing.
On a happier note, we did start the nursery! We spent Saturday night stripping wallpaper from the bottom half of the room. We picked up the colors on Saturday afternoon and R put them on the walls to test them out. The room has a chair rail around the center so we are doing two colors, one on the top half and another on the bottom half of the room. The top will be a mystic beige which is a common neutral color in our home. The bottom was originally going to be jalapeno pepper but we changed it to dill pickle. Much better! R painted the top half last night while I was catching up on laundry. He is very anxious to finish it up so he can start putting together the crib and changing table. I will post pics as we make some progress!
I'm thinking of all of you out there in blogger land as you wait for your court dates. I think I'm as anxious as you are to hear about your dates! I check your sites every day when I get home from work.
Speaking of work, I'm not sure I mentioned this but I work as a toddler teacher in a preschool. I love my little class and they add a lot of sunshine to my days. Today we learned about penguins and it was so much fun to watch them waddle around the classroom! It put a smile on my face!
Until tomorrow......and I hope to see some good news in bloggerland!

We are Home!

We arrived home on Sunday evening and have been sleeping and catching up on American TV. Sorry we didn't post as we had intended but we were pretty busy and internet time was expensive.
I would love to share all the wonderful details of our trip but I do want to check with our coordinator so as not to create any problems.
I will say that the trip was great and that we are anxiously awaiting a return!
Will try to share more soon!

We're Off and Running!!

Here we are in Starbucks the night before our big trip (last American coffee for a week!) We got some additional gifts for the people we'll meet there, and every hour that goes by, the trip is becoming more real to us!

Now it's Sunday afternoon, and we're just about to leave for the airport. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Here we come, Phil!

Nervous or Excited? I Can't Decide.....

Well, it's a lot of both!
We had a phone conference with our coordinator today about the travel and it hit me, I am really leaving in a few days!
I have to share an experience I had today.
I was out of work early and went home for the conference call with the coordinator and R (Rob). Then, I decided to go out and pick up some more gifts. There is a store in a neighboring town that prides itself on its gift selection and customer service. And, to top it off, I have a gift certificate to the store. Well, I went in and started perusing the scarves and pins. I asked one of the employees to show me a scarf in a case and she looked annoyed with me for interrupting her. Another employee saw me walking around and around the jewelry counter and did not even ask if I needed help. Needless to say, I left the store without purchasing anything.
Now, normally, I don't get too upset but I really could've used some nice help from an encouraging employee today!
I did go to a small craft store in my hometown to look for local area cards and they were great! I told them what I was doing and about our trip and adoption plans. They were so wonderful! It's too bad that I went to this store before the other one. Oh well, I guess I'll need to hit the mall!
Question for my fellow racers-----what kinds of gifts did you bring for caregivers? orphanage directors? facilitators?
I did love Lauren's idea of bringing a cake one day to the caregivers and asked my coordinator if we could stop and purchase something on our last day and she said that would be really nice. I gave you full credit for the idea, Lauren! Thanks, I love it. I'm a preschool teacher working with toddlers and I know how much we appreciate it when our parents bring in treats for us!
We did find out some encouraging news today. There will be another couple from our agency in our region at the same time as us. We will be going to the Ministry together and staying at the same hotel. Yeah! It's just nice to have some camaraderie!
Well, until later!